WINHALL — Police believe they have found the body of a Townshend woman who had been missing more than a month. Helen Holmes, a registered nurse, had been missing since Sept. 6.

In a press release, police said Holmes' 2010 Subaru Forester was found on an unpaved road off of Route 11 but said they couldn't yet confirm the body was Holmes.

A hiker reported finding the remains on Wednesday. Chief Jeffrey Whitesell of the Winhall Police Department located a woman's partial remains, along with a hand gun, about 75 feet from the Forester in the woods.

Police said that based on the evidence collected and the fact that the Forester is the same make and model and has the same registration as Holmes' vehicle, they believe the body is Holmes but official identification is pending.